Support

My AFib Companion is built and maintained by one person. There is no call centre and no chat widget — but every email is read and answered by the developer who wrote the app.

Get help

Email: bgwinnature@gmail.com

You can also reach this address from inside the app: More › About AFib Companion › Contact Support. That link pre-fills the subject line.

How long it takes

This is a one-person operation, so please read this honestly:

• Most emails get a reply within 2 business days. Weekends and holidays add time.
• If you have not heard back in 5 business days, please send the email again. It is far more likely that a message was lost or filtered than ignored. A resend is welcome, not a nuisance.
• Bug fixes take longer than replies. A fix has to be written, tested and reviewed by Apple before it reaches you. Two to three weeks from report to release is normal, and it can be longer.
• Refunds cannot be issued here. All payments go through Apple, and only Apple can refund them. See Refunds below.

What to put in your email

You will get a faster, more useful answer if you include:

1. What you expected to happen, and what happened instead.
2. The screen you were on, and what you tapped to get there.
3. Your app version and build, from More › About AFib Companion (shown at the bottom of the More tab as well).
4. Your iPhone model and iOS version, from Settings › General › About.
5. Whether you have an Apple Watch, and which model.
6. A screenshot, if the problem is visible on screen.

Apple Health is not showing any data

This is the most common issue, and it is almost always a permission that was never granted, or was granted for only some data types.

Why the app cannot fix it for you

iOS asks for Health permission once. If you tapped Not now during setup, or if you left some switches off, iOS will not ask again and it does not tell the app that anything was refused. From the app’s side, “you said no” and “you have no data” look identical — which is why you see empty cards rather than an error message.

Permission has to be changed by you, in Apple’s own settings.

Turn Health access on

In the Health app:

1. Open the Health app.
2. Tap your profile picture in the top-right corner.
3. Tap Apps and Services (called Apps on some versions).
4. Tap AFib Companion.
5. Turn on the data types you want to share. Turn on All is the simplest option.

Or in Settings, on iOS 18 and later:
Settings › Apps › Health › Data Access & Devices › AFib Companion

Or in Settings, on iOS 17 and earlier:
Settings › Privacy & Security › Health › AFib Companion

Apple moves these screens around between releases. If neither path matches your phone, open Settings, pull down to reveal the search field, type Health, and work from there.

After changing the switches, quit My AFib Companion completely — swipe up from the bottom of the screen, then swipe the app card away — and reopen it. Pull down to refresh on the Heart Data screen.

What the app reads, and what it never does

My AFib Companion asks for read-only access. It requests:

• Heart rate and resting heart rate
• Heart rate variability (HRV, SDNN)
• ECG recordings
• AFib History (AFib burden)
• Irregular rhythm notifications
• High and low heart rate notifications
• Sleep analysis
• Steps, exercise minutes, active energy
• VO2 max and blood oxygen

The app never writes anything to Apple Health. It has no permission to do so. Nothing it stores can alter your Health records, and deleting your app account leaves your Apple Health data exactly as it was.

Still empty after granting access?

• Some data types simply do not exist on your device. HRV, ECG, AFib burden and blood oxygen come from an Apple Watch. Without one, those cards stay blank and that is correct behaviour.
• Heart rate history goes back only as far as your Health data does. A brand-new Watch has nothing to show yet.
• ECG requires Apple Watch Series 4 or later, with the ECG app set up in the Watch app on your iPhone.
• Restarting your iPhone clears up a surprising number of stubborn HealthKit issues.

My data is not showing up on my other device

How syncing actually works

Everything you log is saved on your iPhone first, so the app keeps working with no signal. It then syncs to your private account so it is available on your other devices.

The app syncs:

• Immediately after you save something — an episode, a dose, a check-in — as a background push.
• On a cold launch, when it does a full two-way sync: sends everything pending, then pulls down anything new.
• When you sign in.
• When the network comes back after being offline.

There is no “Sync now” button, and the app does not sync when you simply switch back to it from another app. Bringing it up from the app switcher is not a fresh launch.

To force a sync

1. Swipe up from the bottom of the screen and hold, to open the app switcher.
2. Swipe the AFib Companion card up and off the screen.
3. Reopen the app from the Home Screen.

Give it a few seconds on a good connection.

If data still does not appear on the second device

• Check you are signed in to the same account on both. Look at More › Your Profile on each device and confirm the email address matches. Signing in with Apple on one device and with email and password on the other creates two separate accounts with two separate sets of data.
• Check the second device is online. Sync needs a connection on both ends.
• Check the first device actually finished syncing. Launch it, leave it open on the Today tab for thirty seconds on Wi-Fi, then relaunch the second device.
• Where two devices edited the same record, the most recent edit wins. If you changed the same episode on both phones while one was offline, the later change is the one that survives.

One thing that does not sync between devices: Apple Health readings are read from each iPhone’s own Health app. If your Apple Watch is paired to one iPhone, that iPhone is where the heart data lives, and it is the readings the app has already recorded — not your whole Health archive — that travel with your account.

Medication reminders are not firing

Work down this list in order. The first three catch nearly every case.

1. Are notifications allowed at all?

Open More › Notification Settings. If a yellow Notifications Disabled banner appears at the top, tap Open Settings and turn on Allow Notifications.

You can also get there directly:

Settings › Apps › AFib Companion › Notifications (iOS 18 and later)
Settings › Notifications › AFib Companion (iOS 17 and earlier)

Turn on Allow Notifications, and make sure Lock Screen, Notification Center and Banners are all ticked. If Sounds is off, the reminder arrives silently and is easy to miss.

2. Send a test

More › Notification Settings › Send Test Notification.

The test arrives about 3 seconds later, and you must put the app in the background to see it — press the Home indicator or switch apps immediately after tapping. iOS does not show banners for the app you are looking at.

If the test arrives but medication reminders do not, the problem is with the medication’s settings, not with notifications. Continue to step 3.

3. Check the medication itself

Open Log › Medications and tap the medication.

• Is it Active? Reminders are only scheduled for active medications.
• Is its frequency set to “As needed”? As-needed medications never get reminders, by design — there is no schedule to remind you about.
• Does it have dose times set? A medication with no scheduled times has nothing to fire.

If you change any of these, the reminders are rescheduled when you save.

4. Check that iOS is not holding them back

• Focus modes. A Focus — including Sleep and Do Not Disturb — can silence reminders. Add AFib Companion to the allowed list: Settings › Focus › [your Focus] › Apps.
• Scheduled Summary. If AFib Companion is in your notification summary, its reminders are held back and delivered in a batch, often hours late. Check Settings › Notifications › Scheduled Summary and remove the app from the list.
• Low Power Mode can delay background activity.
• Silent mode and the volume level affect whether you hear the alert.

5. What the reminders actually do

For each scheduled dose, the app sets up to three notifications: one at the dose time, one 15 minutes later, and one 30 minutes later. The follow-ups are worded as reminders that you have not marked the dose as taken. Marking the dose as taken in the app does not retract a reminder that iOS has already queued for today.

6. Last resort

Delete the app and reinstall it from the App Store, then sign in again. Your data is in your account and comes back down when you sign in. Export a copy first (see below) — reinstalling is safe, but a backup costs nothing.

Other reminders

More › Notification Settings also controls:

• Daily Check-In Reminder — one reminder a day at a time you choose. Set it with the time picker directly beneath the toggle.
• Weekly Insights — a summary notification, delivered Monday mornings.

Both are on by default and can be turned off independently.

Subscriptions, trials and billing

What it costs

My AFib Companion is subscription-only. There is a 30-day free trial, then $9.99 per month or $59.99 per year. There is no free tier: when the trial ends, the app locks until you subscribe.

The trial is offered once per Apple ID, not once per installation. If you have used it before — even on a different iPhone, even years ago — the App Store will not grant it again, and the app will say so plainly rather than advertising a trial you cannot have.

Even when the app is locked, you can still

• Export everything you have logged, and
• Delete your account and all its data.

Both are on the locked screen, under Export or Delete My Data. Your data is yours whether you are paying or not, and it is kept safe while you are unsubscribed — resubscribe and it is all still there.

How to cancel

Cancelling is done in Apple’s settings, not in the app. Apple does not give developers the ability to cancel a subscription on your behalf.

On your iPhone:

1. Open Settings.
2. Tap your name at the very top of the list (labelled Apple Account on iOS 18 and later, Apple ID on earlier versions).
3. Tap Subscriptions.
4. Tap My AFib Companion (Apple lists it under its App Store name).
5. Tap Cancel Subscription, then confirm.

If you do not see Cancel Subscription, the subscription is already cancelled and simply has not run out yet.

Alternative route, through the App Store:
App Store app › your profile picture, top right › Subscriptions › My AFib Companion › Cancel Subscription

Shortcut from inside the app:
More › Subscription › Manage Subscription — this opens Apple’s subscription page directly.

What happens after you cancel:

• Cancel during the free trial and you are not charged, as long as you cancel at least 24 hours before the trial ends. You keep full access until the last day of the trial.
• Cancel a paid subscription and you keep access until the end of the period you have already paid for. It does not stop immediately.
• Cancelling does not delete your account or your data. If you want your data erased as well, see Deleting your account.

Refunds

Every payment for My AFib Companion is processed by Apple, and only Apple can issue a refund. The developer never sees your payment details and cannot reverse a charge.

Request a refund at reportaproblem.apple.com, sign in with your Apple ID, find the purchase, and choose Report a Problem. Apple decides these case by case.

I already paid, but the app is asking me to subscribe

This is almost always one of three things.

1. Tap Restore Purchases.

More › Subscription › Restore Purchases, or the Restore Purchases button on the locked screen. This asks the App Store to confirm what your Apple ID has bought, and unlocks the app if it finds an active subscription.

2. Check you are signed in to the right Apple ID.

Subscriptions belong to the Apple ID that made the purchase — not to your AFib Companion account. On a new phone, in a Family Sharing household, or with a work and personal Apple ID, it is easy to be signed in to the wrong one. Check Settings › your name at the top, and confirm it is the Apple ID that bought the subscription. If Restore Purchases says “No active subscription found for this Apple ID,” this is usually why.

3. Give it a moment on a real connection.

Purchase confirmation needs the network. If the app cannot reach the store it will say “Can’t load subscription options” rather than guess at a price. Tap Try Again on Wi-Fi.

If none of that works, email support with the Apple ID email you purchased under and the approximate date of purchase. Please do not send a receipt containing your full billing address.

Signing in

Sign in with Apple

Choose Sign in with Apple and Face ID or Touch ID does the rest. Nothing else to remember.

If you chose “Hide My Email,” Apple gives the app a private relay address ending in @privaterelay.appleid.com. That is normal and everything works. It is the address shown on your profile.

Always use the same method every time. Signing in with Apple creates one account; signing up with an email address and password creates a different one. They do not merge, and each holds its own separate data. If your history looks like it has vanished, the most likely explanation is that you signed in the other way.

Revoking access in Settings › your name › Sign-In & Security › Sign in with Apple does not delete your account — it just stops the sign-in from working. To actually erase your data, use Delete Account.

Email and password

New accounts need to be confirmed by email. After signing up, check your inbox for a confirmation message and tap the link. If the app says “Please check your email and confirm your account before signing in,” that link has not been used yet. Check your spam and promotions folders — this is where the message usually ends up.

Forgotten password: tap Forgot Password? on the sign-in screen and enter your email address. A reset link is sent to that address. If nothing arrives within a few minutes, check spam, and confirm you are using the exact address you signed up with.

“Too many attempts. Please wait a moment and try again.” — the app limits sign-in attempts to 5 in any 60-second window. Wait a minute and try again.

“An account with this email already exists.” — you have signed up before. Use Sign In rather than Sign Up, and reset the password if you need to.

The doctor report

Making one

Insights tab › Doctor Report. Choose 30 Days, 60 Days or 90 Days, then tap the generate button. The PDF is built on your phone, usually in a second or two.

The PDF contains five sections:

• Patient information — age, biological sex, AFib type, diagnosis date
• Episode summary — count, average severity, average duration, and your five most common symptoms and five most common triggers with counts
• Heart rate data — latest and resting heart rate, heart rate variability, and AFib burden where Apple Health has it
• Medication adherence — overall, then each medication individually with doses taken out of doses due
• Lifestyle factors — average mood, average sleep, high-stress days, days with alcohol

A written disclaimer at the bottom of the report states that it is built from self-reported data and Apple Health readings, that it is a discussion aid, and that it is not a medical record or a diagnosis.

Where the file goes — read this before you dismiss the sheet

From the share sheet, pick one of:

• Save to Files — then choose On My iPhone or iCloud Drive. This is the option most people want. Find it afterwards in the Files app.
• Mail — attaches it to a new message.
• Print — including “Save as PDF” from the print preview.
• AirDrop — to a Mac or iPad.
• Messages — to send to a family member.

Please think before you send it. The report contains your full health history. Ordinary email is not a secure channel. Many practices have a patient portal with secure messaging, and printing a copy to hand over at the appointment avoids the question entirely.

It is a discussion aid, not a medical record

The report says so on its own front page, and it bears repeating here. It is assembled from what you typed in and what your Apple devices recorded. It is not a clinical document, not a diagnosis, and not a substitute for your medical notes. Bring it to your appointment as a conversation starter. Your clinician decides what it means.

Reading AFib burden

AFib burden is Apple’s number, not this app’s. My AFib Companion reads the value your Apple Watch has already published to the Health app and displays it. It does not calculate, verify, adjust or second-guess it, and it cannot produce one if Apple has not.

What it means

AFib History estimates the percentage of time your Apple Watch judged your heart to be in atrial fibrillation while you were wearing it. A reading of 4% means roughly 4% of the measured time. It is an estimate, from a consumer wrist sensor, over the hours you happened to be wearing the watch.

Apple updates it weekly, so the figure you see is not live, and the number will not react to something that happened this morning.

The words next to the number

The app puts a short description under the figure, purely to describe the size of the number at a glance:

The card says “No AFib burden data available”

That means Apple has not published a figure, and the app has nothing to show. AFib History needs all of the following:

• An Apple Watch Series 4 or later running a recent watchOS.
• AFib History switched on, and it has to be set up deliberately. On your iPhone: Watch app › My Watch › Heart › AFib History. Or: Health app › Browse › Heart › AFib History › Set Up.
• Confirmation during setup that you have been diagnosed with AFib by a doctor. Apple requires this, and the feature will not turn on without it.
• Age 22 or over.
• Enough wear time. The watch needs to be worn regularly, including while asleep if possible, for Apple to have anything to estimate from.
• Patience. The first estimate takes about a week.

If AFib History is on and working in the Health app but the card is still blank here, it is a Health permission issue — go back to Apple Health is not showing any data.

AFib History is a feature of your Apple Watch. It is not something this app performs, and this app does not detect, monitor or screen for atrial fibrillation.

Exporting your data

You can take a full copy of everything you have logged at any time, subscribed or not, with no request form and no waiting.

How

1. Open the More tab.
2. Tap Export Data.
3. Choose a Date Range: 30 Days, 90 Days, 1 Year or All Time.
4. Tap Export Data.
5. When the share sheet opens, choose Save to Files (or Mail, or AirDrop).

If the app is locked behind the paywall, tap Export or Delete My Data on the locked screen, then Export Data. Same feature, same file.

As with the doctor report, the file is removed when the share sheet closes. Pick a destination before dismissing it. If you lose it, just export again.

What you get

A single CSV file named AFibCompanion_Export_<date>.csv, which opens in Numbers, Excel, Google Sheets, or any text editor. It is divided into five labelled sections:

All times are in ISO 8601 format (for example 2026-03-14T09:30:00Z), which spreadsheets understand.

Two things worth knowing:

• Commas inside your notes are converted to semicolons, so that a note containing a comma does not break the column layout. The text is otherwise unchanged.
• The “Auto Detected” column always reads false. Every episode in My AFib Companion is one you logged yourself. The app does not detect episodes.

What is not in the CSV

• Your profile details — name, date of birth, AFib type, diagnosis date, emergency contact. These are visible in More › Your Profile, and they appear in the doctor report PDF.
• Symptom and trigger detail attached to individual episodes. The episode rows carry times, severity and notes. To capture symptoms and triggers alongside everything else, generate a doctor report as well — the two together give you the full picture.
• Your complete Apple Health archive. The health readings section contains what the app has recorded, not everything your Watch has ever measured. For the full Apple archive: Health app › your profile picture › Export All Health Data. That is Apple’s export, not this app’s.
• Account credentials or payment information. Neither is ever included.

The CSV is not encrypted

It is a plain text file containing your health history. Once it leaves the app it is an ordinary document, protected only by wherever you put it. Save it somewhere you trust, and think twice before emailing it.

Face ID / Touch ID lock

More › Face ID Lock (or Touch ID Lock) adds a biometric lock to the app. With it on, the app locks whenever it goes to the background and needs your face or fingerprint to reopen.

The row only appears if your iPhone has Face ID or Touch ID set up. If you do not see it, set up biometrics in Settings › Face ID & Passcode first, then return to the More tab.

This locks the app, not your data. It is there to stop someone picking up your unlocked phone and reading your health history.

Widgets

Add them from the Home Screen: touch and hold an empty area › tap the + button in the top corner › search for AFib Companion.

Four are available:

• Today’s Status — heart rate, episodes and next medication at a glance.
• Heart Rate — current BPM with a sparkline of recent readings.
• Medications — today’s schedule, with a tap to mark a dose as taken.
• Quick Mood Log — log your mood with one tap.

If a widget is stale or blank: open the app once and leave it on the Today tab for a few seconds. Widgets are refreshed from the app, and iOS decides how often they update — it can lag behind. Removing the widget and adding it back usually clears a stuck one.

Deleting your account

You can delete your account and everything in it yourself, from inside the app, at any time — including while your subscription is inactive. No email, no form, no waiting on a reply.

More › Delete Account, or Export or Delete My Data › Delete Account if the app is locked.

Full account deletion instructions

What happens to your data

The short, honest version.

What leaves your phone. My AFib Companion syncs your data to a private account on a hosted database (Supabase, PostgreSQL, in Oregon, USA) so it survives a lost phone and reaches your other devices. That includes your episodes, symptoms and triggers; your medications and dose logs; your daily check-ins; your generated insights; heart rate, resting heart rate, HRV and step readings; and your profile — including the emergency contact name and phone number you enter, which belongs to somebody who never installed the app. Everything is encrypted in transit and at rest, and row-level security means your rows are readable only by your account.

What stays on your phone. The weekly summaries, trigger correlations and adherence analysis are all worked out on the device, by analysis code that ships inside the app and runs locally. It makes no network call. No health data is sent anywhere to be analysed, not to this developer, not to any AI provider. The doctor report PDF is likewise generated entirely on your phone.

Who else is involved. Apple (App Store, payments, HealthKit), RevenueCat (subscription status only — it receives an account identifier, never health data), and Supabase (hosting). That is the complete list.

What does not happen. No advertising. No analytics SDKs. No third-party trackers. No data sold, rented or shared for marketing. Ever.

The full Privacy Policy is also in the app at More › Privacy Policy, and More › AI & Data Transparency covers the on-device processing in detail.

Medical disclaimer

My AFib Companion is a wellness and record-keeping tool. It is not a medical device.

It does not diagnose, detect, monitor, screen for, treat, cure or prevent atrial fibrillation or any other condition, and it does not give medical advice. It does not replace your cardiologist, your GP, or medical-grade equipment. Heart data from consumer devices such as Apple Watch is not as accurate as clinical monitoring. Insights are generated from what you have entered and may not reflect what is actually happening in your body.

Never start, stop or change a medication because of anything in this app. Always talk to your healthcare provider.

The full disclaimer is in the app at More › Medical Disclaimer, and on the home page.

My AFib Companion is made by BGW in Nature. Support: bgwinnature@gmail.com